A HANDBOOK ON TEA MIXOLOGY
different ways of using tea
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ixing fresh brewed tea with your favourite spirits, juices, fruits, herbs or spices is the most obvious one, but there are more ways of using tea in cocktails. Tea is a flavour match for many different
kinds of fruits, spices, herbs and vegetables and it has a natural pleasant bitterness that can add an extra layer to a drink. Different ways of using tea brings out different facets of tea enhancing the overall taste sensation.
Tea as an infusion Infusing a spirit or liqueur with tea can get you great results. Jasmine green tea infused vodka is an easy one to start with. It’s important to first let the tea leaves steep in hot water for a minute before you put them into the spirit. It is recommended using 8g of tea to infuse 1l of spirit. After adding the leaves to the bottle put the bottle in the fridge. After the second day test the strength of the infusion twice per day and after the fourth day your infusion should be close to the required strength, although infusion times may vary according to the type of tea used. When your infusion is done, strain the tea leaves and store the bottle in the fridge. Other suggested infusions are Earl Grey infused Gin, Ceylon Supreme infused Bols Genenver and Sencha green tea infused Sake.
Tea as a syrup Tea can also complement your cocktail as syrup. Take 400ml of any tea (strong brew, 5 minutes) and dissolve 600g of fine white sugar into it. Make sure the temperature of the tea after brewing never exceeds 60°C when you’re dissolving the sugar, otherwise the tea can turn bitter or the sugar can burn and caramelise.
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